Call of Duty 2

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The best selling Xbox 360 game makes it way to cellphones.

By Levi Buchanan

Some say the key to success when releasing a mobile game is brand awareness. Well, MFORMA certainly has nothing to worry about with their upcoming Call of Duty 2, set to debut early next year. All of video game-dom is certainly educated about Activision's blockbuster World War II-themed shooter, which recently rocketed to the top of the Xbox 360 sales charts and has been exceedingly popular for PC gamers. But the link between traditional vids and mobile gaming is a tenuous one -- in the next few weeks, MFROMA will have to walk a tightrope to guarantee that the essence of CoD2 makes the transition.

The foundation for success was made readily apparent in a recent playtest with the latest preview build of the game. CoD2 offers several links to the source material, such as similar missions and mission structure. The mobile game is composed of twelve individual missions, stretched out across 1942-1945. The hallmark storytelling of the series is also employed, as the players see the war through the eyes of American, Russian, and British Allied soldiers. Action unfolds in Stalingrad, the scorching African desert, and the French countryside. And the action is "narrated" (in a way) by dialogue boxes from commanding officers in each theater.

Game play feels not entirely unlike the previous mobile Call of Duty, as well as classic arcade shooters like Commando and Ikari Warriors. The map stretches vertically, as players dig in and conquer territory from leagues of enemy agents. There truly is no shortage of Nazis to shoot in CoD2, as well as no shortage of authentic weapons for doing so. The pistols, machine guns, and assault rifles are all emblazoned with their real names. (Also cool: Each weapon has an individual sound.) Most weapons have a secondary fire mode. For example, holding down the fire button while the machine gun is equipped results in a fat spray of fire that injures multiple targets.

Much of the shooting action is divided between brave thrusts into the enemy's footholds and smartly ducking until the best opportunity presents itself. Crouching is mapped to left softkey, and you can move while on bended knee. The copious number of sandbags and bunkers gives you ample cover for mounting strong counter-attacks against the marauding Wehrmacht.

There are additional weapons and gear besides guns. When dealing with tanks, you can pull out a rocket launcher. Holding the fire button activates a fire line, which sweeps from side-to-side. When the line points directly at the tank (or a large grouping of Nazi thugs), let go and the rocket will slam into the target, destroying it. You can call in air strikes on mounted guns with binoculars and use a sniper rifle for one-shot, surgical strikes.

In the beginning, missions often concentrate on basic engagements while introducing you to the advanced weapons and gear. However, by the last third of the game, you must combine multiple actions to have a successful mission. The varied game play -- yet with a singular drive -- should please action fans. Also impressive is how you rarely go it alone -- Allied forces that behave rationally constantly flank you. They don't steal kills, but they do help out immensely in crowded scenes of conflict.

At this point, CoD2 is looking solid. The environments have a decent amount of detail, and at times, the screen is simply covered with troops -- both Allied and Nazi. Sometimes you will revisit areas, but the color palettes change to reflect different times of day. In Stalingrad, though, you must re-capture some real estate in the dead of winter, so the level is blanketed in snow.

CoD2 is nearly ready for review. As soon as I get a final, I'll let you know if you should enlist for duty and keep on browsing the decks for your next mobile gaming fix. In the meantime, check out the series of new screens.